Worth & Worth — Local services in New York

First, that the hats are of good quality and do have a distinct style to them that make most of them worth the cost. I have purchased two others from visiting the store, which were the Bolero in Granite and the Marfa. When in the store the staff and Orlando himself are gracious and pleasant to work with.

However, when purchasing on-line, be cautious that the in-store does not extend to mail order. Below are a few things to consider before purchasing on-line, which seems consistent with several other reviews below in regards to purchasing on on-line.

I recently purchased another Bolero for a gift to my dad. I originally wanted another of the granite color. When I first started shopping I found the Bolero in Granite, which showed several sizes. I selected the one I wanted and put in my cart. I did not have my CC handy so I waited to the next day. But the next day, the granite color was gone.... all sizes. Finding that odd, I sent an email asking about what might have happened. No response. I finally called and talked to one of the staff. All she seemed to do was check the web site and said, “Yeah, don’t see it.” “Don’t know what to tell you.” And that was the end of the conversation, no checking the stock room off the showroom floor or asking Orlando. Just “Sorry.”

So I finally gave in an ordered the Bolero in Camel. The staff were responsive in clearing up an order issue and they shipped the hat out quickly. They have their system send you tracking notices, which is helpful to keep porch pirates at bay.

When I opened the box to check out the hat, the brim was bowled a bit upwards and have a big wave in the back right. Boleros are supposed to have straight flat brims, as are shown on the web site. But this looked like that hat had not been pressed or fixed after construction. When I was at the store both times before they spent about 30 to 40 minutes getting my other hats ready for taking home. Having said that, I am not confident the sprayed it to the stain prevention treatment. Anyway, in this instance, it looks like one of the staff just took it out of the stockroom, put it in the bag and box and shipped it out, without all the care it would have had if I went to the store.

I have sent two emails, which have gone answered. The first email was to ask about how to fix the brim because I know it can be straightened. But then I thought, for all the money I paid for this hat, they should have professionally prepared the hat themselves. So I sent an email stating that I was going to do that and ask that they fix and send to a new address so that it arrives on time as a birthday gift to my dad. Again, no response. So this leaves me unsure if they will fix the brim or even send out to my dad. I did not call because I think it will just lead to further frustrations given the last time I called. I am not sure what to. From the other reviews, it looks like I will be in for a lengthy and tense experience. But if I try to fix, I might be out $400 and a damaged hat.

Given my In store experiences in, this is surprising. Orlando is a good artist and makes a distinctive hats that have the subtleties that stand out. This is hard to find at the other hat merchants. Maybe it’s because I bought the cheaper of the hats and all that all the hat preparation no longer comes with the cheaper hats. We are getting into a tired purchasing economy where the services are added or removed depending on how much money you spend.

If you can make it into the store... go! It’s worth it and a good experience. It’s on a second floor and kind’a hidden. The shop is not too busy and you’ll get personal service that meets the price, plus a nice hat. It really is a nice and personal experience.

But if you order on-line, beware, you should be prepared to put a lot of detail in what you are expecting in the hat’s preparation and your expectations for the hat in general. Even then, looking at all the other reviews about purchasing on-line, you may have lengthy and difficult time. Please read...

Poor product, poor customer service, poor business practices.

I ordered their Virgil straw hat. Not only did the hat arrive with a lopsided crown that looked ridiculous on my head, there were several imperfections in the weave, included a frayed straw sticking out of the crown that would not be tamed down. They claim that these imperfections are unavoidable unless you buy a "museum quality" Montecristi straw. This is absolutely not true, and/or Worth and Worth needs a better source for hat bodies, because several of their competitors will sell you a hat with a nicer weave for half as much.

Oh but it doesn't end there. Even though they acknowledged that the crown was misshapen, I had to ship it back at my own expense ($65 for ups ground because of their box). It was received fine, and when I emailed to ask about my refund, I was told it would post by the end of the day. No such luck! After I contacted my credit card company, I get a voicemail from Kathy saying they need my card information to process the refund.

It took them over a week to realize this after they said my refund would post on the same day.

I really wanted to like my Worth and Worth hat, but at every step of the process, I was supremely disappointed. I will be staying with Hatmakers such as Optimo and Black Sheep Hatworks, who know how to take care of their clients.

Update 1/1/19: despite calling in my credit card information on 12/29/18 I still have not...

Worth & Worth has redeemed itself. My husband had bought several hats from Worth and Worth so when I went there I was very happy with Orlando's customer service in the shop. Unfortunately they did not have the color hat I wanted in my size so they had to custom make it and deliver it. Orlando said that they would be calling the next week with the delivery information. I waited and the second week, having heard nothing, I called and they said they had to order the fabric but they were very vague on details. I called back and found out they hadn't even gotten the fabric yet so it would be another 2 weeks. I called in another 2 weeks and it still wasn't done. After over a month of waiting, they called me for the first time and asked for my shipping info because they claimed they had sent it but it got sent back so they were going to send it again. When it didn't come the next week I called to cancel but Orlando promised to send it next day air. I finally received my hat only to find it very poor quality. There was a crease in the crown and some very visible press marks in the brim. The hat was returned and I was refunded. UPDATE: Just got back from NY and found a box from Worth & Worth with a new hat and a letter of apology from Orlando. Very glad that they made what I hope was a one time mistake, right...